Fairy Tales Don't Exist
by Blood Red Kiss of Death
Summary: There's a reason fairy tales don't have epilogues.


**Title:** Fairy Tales Don't Exist  
**Characters:** Lily, Bart, Rufus  
**Rating/Word Count:** PG-13 | 938  
**Disclaimer:** 'Gossip Girl' belongs to Cecily von Ziegesar, Josh Schwartz, and the CW. No copyright infringement intended.  
**One-Line Excerpt:** There's a reason fairy tales don't have epilogues.  
**Author's Note:** This is based on the following picture. (just remove all spaces)

i561 . photobucket . com / albums/ ss60/ artemisphoenix/screen_caps/burnthecity/challenge3BL . png

* * *

It wasn't love at first sight; she didn't believe in that – anymore.

It wasn't destiny; you make your own choices.

It wasn't a fairy tale. Prince Charming doesn't exist; true love's kiss is a joke.

Reality was shitty, painful, secretive, _fake_. You pretended your life was out of a Disney movie, but, if anything, it was ripped from a Brother's Grimm tale. The only happy ending you got was when you said "the end." And then reality begins. There's a reason fairy tales don't have epilogues. Why scare innocent children with adult cynicism.

Lillian Rhodes van der Woodsen was a blue-blooded, Upper East Side, society matron. Her mother ran committees before her, her father had been a music executive. Lily was on nearly every committee concerning society and her children's schools. She was a divorcee – three times over.

Bartholomew Bass was _nouveau riche_; new money. He was the son of an elementary school librarian and a firefighter. Bart was CEO and founder of Bass Industries, a multi-billion dollar real estate company. He was a widower and forever a bachelor.

Let's run it down:

First sight?

Bart's son was 16 and best friends with Nathaniel Archibald, Blair Waldorf, and Serena van der Woodsen. Lily's daughter was 16 and best friends with Blair Waldorf, Nathaniel Archibald, and Charles Bass. Getting the picture, yet? Their children had been friends for ten years. The families ran in the same social circle.

It wasn't destiny; it was lust. He was a powerful, single (, rich) man. She was divorced from Husband #3 some months back.

Someone was hosting a gala for some charity. It was a typical Saturday evening when their gazes collided throughout the night; smokey blue-grays and piercing emeralds. The man had you hot and bothered with one look. She was single, therefore lonely and horny.

True love's kiss? Try horny adults with a passion for sex. In a hallway some way down from the party room. There was heat, roughness, moans, the thrill of getting caught. No love, just pure lust.

And so they began their affair. She moved into his hotel because she was _remodeling her apartment_. Giggles and moans and groans were heard throughout the hotel. She was happy; he made her come alive.

_the end._

Until one evening she returned to her suite and found her baby – her 14-year-old son – in the bathroom, bleeding from both wrists. She told everyone Eric was visiting her sister in Florida. A month and a half into the school year.

Her daughter returned from a six-month, self-imposed hiatus to boarding school. Lily was happy that the partying and drugs stopped, but then she has to face _him_; the reason she never let herself believe in stupid, pathetic, childish tales. He was _obviously_ using his son to get to her. And it was working. He was easy to talk to, he was fun. She felt 20 years younger. And then she would return to the Palace and hook up with Bart; called it a good life.

And then someone finally caught them. Charles knew; it was for real when the children knew, hence Lily's inability to take it to the next step. So when the boy gave her an out – Bart was seen with some 20-something _Asian chick_ – maybe that fairy tale she never believed in (except once upon a time 20 years ago) could continue.

Lily and Rufus spent a wonderful evening in his gallery watching a new instillation of art projecting on the ceiling.

_the end._

Happy Thanksgiving! A little blush and a lot of happy hope. Except his wife returned. The children found out about their connection and Lily's wild past. Shit hit the fan, and Rufus wanted to work things out with his wife.

And so, when Bart returned to the city Saturday, she decided to take Rufus's lead and _try again_. It was just a reporter wanting to learn more about business (and more interested in his son, he promised). She just overreacted, she confessed. The make-up sex was explosive.

The secret continued. Not a soul knew. Debutant season was here and Cotillion needed to be finalized. Not too mention, her mother was coming to town. Remember all those evil stepmothers? She had a manipulative birth mother.

Serena and Dan fought. Serena's presentation was vulgar. A mini brawl broke out. Lily wanted her daughter happy, to get a fairy tale for one night. So she went to Brooklyn and escorted daughter's boyfriend to the ball. (Did that make her the fairy godmother or the pumpkin carriage with the mice-horses?)

The two of them, Serena and Dan, made such a lovely, happy couple. It was her and Rufus's second chance. That was enough. She hung up the phone without a response to his declaration. It was their children's time now. Lily watched them leave with laughter and love in their wake.

Her mother was gone two days later. Bart returned from business on the third day. He helped take her mind off everything to do with Celia Rhodes and the choices made in the past.

Everything was wonderful. Christam was days away. She would tell her children about Bart. He said he loved her and was done with hiding. She agreed. Time to move on. Fairy tales don't exist.

Snow finally fell on Christmas day. Her children knew. Bart brought presents. (Oh, a Miami shirt for Eric. He remembered! He actually listened to her about her children. How wonderful!)

And then, maybe it _was_ a fairy tale: a Christmas proposal.

_And they all lived happily ever after. _

_the end._

Yeah, right. We all know how this one ends.

**.end.**


End file.
